Leanne Cunnold: Why WA is an attractive location for major space projects

It’s World Space Week and the Moon is currently the must visit off-Earth celestial body.

Recently India successfully landed a semi-autonomous rover near the lunar south pole. A few days before that, Russia crashed on its first attempt to land on the Moon since 1976. And Japan is hoping to touch down early in 2024.

The USA is also returning to the Moon, but they are not going it alone. Through the Artemis Accords, America is partnering with like-minded nations, including Australia, on a truly international effort to explore our solar system.

NASA’s Artemis program will pick up pace over the next decade, with the goal of establishing a human presence on the lunar surface, as a stepping stone to Mars and beyond.

A future NASA mission to the Moon will include a lunar rover designed and built by Australia. NASA asked Australia to build the semi-autonomous rover because of our expertise in remote operations developed through our world-leading mining industry.

The Trailblazer lunar rover mission being managed through the Australian Space Agency is a once in a generation opportunity for many Australian businesses, researchers and space professionals to participate in a truly extraordinary human endeavour.

It is timely however to ask ourselves the fundamental question — why? Why should we expend so much of our precious resources getting off Earth when there are so many pressing issues to deal with at home, not least of all global warming and the impacts of climate change?

We all like a good mystery and space is the biggest mystery there is. But the innate human drive to explore and discover is not the only reason to venture far from home.

“When we explore, we solve mystery,” Australia’s astronaut in training Katherine Bennell-Pegg has said. “In solving mysteries we create new technologies and we build new knowledge that can be used in ways we cannot even imagine.”

Our geographic location, dry environment, radio quiet zones, clear skies and technical expertise make WA an attractive location for major space projects.

Ultimately, we go to space to improve life here on Earth. In seeking to better understand the universe in which we live we discover solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing humanity.

Space exploration has already created many technologies that help improve daily life. NASA’s Spinoff website details hundreds of innovations created or accelerated via space application including GPS, cordless power tools, wireless headphones, the computer mouse, and solar panels.

Life-saving inventions abound, such as fire-resistant clothing, cardiac defibrillator implants, robotic arms for brain surgery, buoy life rafts, and search and rescue tracking.

Space innovations are also helping fight the impacts of climate change. Australia’s fire agencies, for example, use satellite generated data and images to help plan for bushfire seasons. By analysing historical bushfire data, vegetation growth and moisture, they can identify where fires are most at risk of outbreak.

Companies are increasingly turning to near real time remote sensing data from satellites to inform business decisions. Whether it’s tracking the number of cars parked at shopping centres, detecting gas pipeline leaks, optimising airline flight paths and fuel consumption, or assessing soil type and moisture content to maximise crop yields.

Investment in the space industry is a massive stimulator of economic activity. Every dollar invested in space exploration is spent on Earth delivering innovation, research, and creating job and business opportunities. This helps make our economy more diversified and resilient.

Like the Apollo generation of the 1960s and 1970s, today’s students will be inspired by the Artemis program and want to pursue careers in STEM and the space sector.

A strong sovereign space sector also means meaningful and diverse careers can be found at home.

WA hosts a large variety of internationally significant space infrastructure. Our geographic location, dry environment, radio quiet zones, clear skies and technical expertise make WA an attractive location for major space projects. More than 100 international and Australian companies operating in space and space-related services are based in Perth.

When the Australian-made rover rolls out across the Moon’s surface for the first time you can bet the nation will be watching. It may seem like a small contribution to a big mission, but its impact will be felt far beyond the companies and technicians directly involved. It will inspire a new wave of interest in our space sector and help bring the many benefits of space exploration home.

Leanne Cunnold is chief executive of Australian Remote Operations for Space and Earth.